Please sign in to post.

Christmas in Ireland

All,

My wife and I are going to be doing Ireland by car the week of Christmas (we traveled two weeks during Christmas last year in Europe and loved it). I have us spending Christmas Eve, Christmas, and the day after Christmas in Kinsale. My thought is that we would be able to explore Kinsalse, Cork, and Cobh on those days. I'm realistic that most places will be closed. My main question is, will we be able to find a restaurant or pub open for lunch and dinner? We had no problem with that in Amsterdam last year, but I didn't know about Southern Ireland. Any recommendations would be much appreciated! I'm planning to make reservations in the fall, as the trip gets closer.

Our schedule is also fairly flexible, so if anyone has recommendations for somewhere else to spend Christmas in Ireland, let me know (except for Dublin, as we have already been there and want to see other parts of the country).

Posted by
219 posts

Pubs in Ireland are not allowed open on Christmas day. There may be local hotels serving dinner but you would need to check if they are allowing non-residents and then book well in advance. Don't expect to be able to rock up somewhere and get a table.
If you are staying in a self-catering house or apartment, it might be best to stock up on provisions in the preceding days and cook dinner yourselves on the day.